Are AI really just moving obsticals?

I know that a lot of people are complaining about how bad the AI are during a race. But Wow! I'm wondering if they are just obstacles to make practice and qualifying harder. During Qualifying or practice 2 and 3 I can't get out of the pits first. I even tested it. At the beginning of P2 I immediately hit "go to track - drive out" I got held in the garage while 3 or 4 cars went past. I restarted the session and sat in the garage for over 3 minutes and not a single car went out. I hit "go to track -Drive out " and there went 2 cars in front of me! I restarted the session and immediately hit "Go to track - Flying Lap" My car spawns on the back straight weaving back and forth behind a lotus. Restart session.... wait 2 minutes... cars on track=0 "Go to track - Drive out" 6 cars pass!!!!! I just want a little room to test my setup! Just for the heck of it I pulled off the racing line right at the beginning of Q3 driving right down the curb doing about 30 MPH. I watched behind me as 6 cars slowly followed behind me, after several warnings for illegal blocking I was black flagged. How do the AI post such fast times in practice when I nearly drive into them on every lap? It's like they are just there to get in your way.

That's weird, it has definitely not happened here. I can usually drive out first and post fastest lap of a Prac or Qual session before other cars. Or I can wait a while, and see other cars do an 'installation' lap, driving out then immediately in, and later doing a fast lap. On track I sometimes get the slowfollowing you describe, but only those cars that are on out or in laps. Others will overtake as quick as possible when on a fast lap.
I am on 100%, could tyhat be the difference I wonder?

Retired StaffPremium

I know what the OP means, empty out lap, but on the hot lap as soon as you cross the start line there is almost always an AI car coming out of the pits, often just to ruin your day at the first corner. Now suddenly they are at all critical corners.

It feels like there is a conspiracy against you sometimes ..... or it's just paranoia

If I immediately get out of the pits, there sometimes are 2 or 3 cars in front of me. But AI's drive so slow on the outlap that I just pass them very quickly and easily. Problem is the cars coming out of the pits as I start the flying lap. Most of the time, as long as they don't get in the way going into the first corner, it's okay. If they do, I restart the session but again, doesn't happen often. And in Q3, it's only 10 cars so likelihood of that happening is less. In Q3, if you want, you can watch AI car position on your monitor before coming out.

And never try to slip stream the slow AI. If you get directly behind them, they start weaving and will crash into you. Drive on the different racing line than the AI is on and you should be able to pass them with no problem.

What I'm actually curious about is that how are these AI's putting 9 laps in Q3 and still manages to race with that tire.

James
I agree with you completly, but there is another wieving angle at this whole "mess": See it as overtaking practice.
Or try waiting till you are the only one without a posted time which gives you little time left of the session

And never try to slip stream the slow AI. If you get directly behind them, they start weaving and will crash into you. Drive on the different racing line than the AI is on and you should be able to pass them with no problem.

Click to expand...

Thats another thing. I'm in the middle of my second season and this has only happened once. During a practice I used the "Go to track - Flying Lap" option. I spawned behind an AI car and both my car and the AI were weaving back and forth, my car kept hitting the brakes and the gas like it couldn't decide what to do. As soon as I was given control of the car I received a penalty for causing a collision and my front wing was gone!

When overtaking a slower AI in blue flag or in a quali hot lap/slow lap situation, the AI car moves out of the way if you're on the racing line, and stays on the racing line when you're off it.

The problem is that the "racing line" is extremely thin so if you have one wheel half an inch off the AI will consider you're off the line and move back to the line. Another problem is that the AI changes line immediately, so you're right behind, move just a little bit off the line to overtake the slower car, and then they just steer right back into you.